Senator Rakes in Banking Money, Casts Deciding Vote to Kill ATM Bill

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A week after a bill preventing banks from charging consumers fees to use automatic teller machines (ATMs) was defeated by one vote in the State Senate, an analysis of state campaign finance records by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign shows a sharp increase in campaign contributions in the last half of 1999 from banking interests to State Senator Kevin Shibilski (D-Stevens Point), who cast the deciding vote on the ATM bill.
Senator Rakes in Banking Money, Casts Deciding Vote to Kill ATM Bill

February 15, 2000

Madison - A week after a bill preventing banks from charging consumers fees to use automatic teller machines (ATMs) was defeated by one vote in the State Senate, an analysis of state campaign finance records by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign shows a sharp increase in campaign contributions in the last half of 1999 from banking interests to State Senator Kevin Shibilski (D-Stevens Point), who cast the deciding vote on the ATM bill.

Senator Shibilski received $6,497 in large individual donations from the banking industry in the last half of 1999 alone (list), over $2,400 more than he collected from bankers in the previous four and a half years combined and a whopping 1,300 percent increase over the average amount he received from banking interests in past reporting periods (bar chart). Shibilski collected a total of $4,085 in contributions of $100 or more from bankers from January 1995 through the end of June 1999, an average of $484 per reporting period.

For the most recent six-month period, donations from banking interests accounted for 26 percent of Shibilski’s employer-identified contributions. In the previous four and a half years, banking contributions accounted for only 4 percent of all employer-identified donations to Senator Shibilski.

"This is yet another example of how the free flow of special interest money into our political system does severe damage to the integrity of the legislative process," WDC Executive Director Gail Shea said. "Bankers know what they’re doing with money. They don’t throw it around unless they figure it’s going to do them some good. And it appears Senator Shibilski’s vote gave them what they wanted."

The ATM fee measure, Senate Bill 325, was defeated on a 17-16 vote in the Senate on February 8. Shibilski broke ranks with his Democratic colleagues and joined the Senate’s 16 Republicans in voting against SB 325.

Wisconsin Democracy Campaign

Wisconsin Democracy Campaign is working for a real democracy that allows the common good to prevail over narrow interests. We track the money in state politics and fight for campaign finance and other democracy reforms. WDC is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and charitable contributions supporting our work are fully tax deductible when you itemize.